The Edinburgh Fringe Show

Explore the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Ewan Spence through a mix of reviews, news, and interviews.

Hosted ByEwan Spence

Welcome to the Edinburgh Fringe Show.

This BAFTA-nominated podcast is a mix of news from the biggest arts festival in the world, with interviews and reviews from the world of comedy, theatre, and music; featuring over 1000 guests since we started coverage in 2005.

Just as the Edinburgh Fringe went on hiatus in 2020, so did the Fringe podcast. The Fringe returned to a full roster for 2022, as did the podcast. Following the 2022 Fringe, we explored our extensive library of guests with a weekly showcase interview from the archives.

With Fringe 2024 here, the big show is back, bringing you the best flavour of the Fringe that we have done for twenty years.

Listen to all our shows online at edinburghfringe.thepodcastcorner.com. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or in your favourite podcast app, to never miss an episode.

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You can also listen to the Edinburgh Fringe Show’s weekend Omnibus edition throughout August on Radio Six International and its syndication partners worldwide (check listings for details), and on DAB across the UK with The Podcast Radio.

Listen on Radio Six International Listen on The Podcast Radio Podcasts


All Episodes

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2024 – Chris Grace (Sardines, A Comedy About Death)

It’s our first full preview of the Edinburgh Fringe 2024, as Ewan Spence meets Chris Grace to talk about his new solo show ‘Sardines (A Comedy About Death)’, how fringe theatre continues to be important to his career, and why the Edinburgh Fringe is such a magical time of year.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2024 Prologue – It’s Our Twentieth Season

With August and the Edinburgh Fringe approaching, Ewan Spence opens up the season with our prologue to set the scene, and to listen to our traditional opening song from Daneil Cainer.

The Edinburgh Fringe Interview – Scott Matthewman on Reviewing Theatre

Reviews play a critical part in the Arts world, especially during the Edinburgh Festival. Who is reviewing you, did it read like a five-star, why is nobody turning up, and what can you do with them in September?

In this podcast, I’m joined by Scott Matthewman. He has been working as a theatre critic for nearly twenty years, sometimes as a part-time freelancer and at other times as a fully employed staff writer. We talk about the importance of reviews and reviewers in the Arts, how reviewing has changed over the years, and what can be done to improve the review landscape at Edinburgh and other Fringes around the world.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Epilogue

Ewan Spence is joined by theatre producer Fin Ross Russell (The Collie’s Shed) to look back at this year’s Fringe, the preparation required, what happens next, and plans for 2024.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Paul Beeson (Never Trouble Trouble, Until Trouble Troubles You)

What does it mean to bring a legend back into the light? That’s the challenge faced by Two Halves Productions in the delightful tongue-twisty Never Trouble Trouble, Until Trouble Troubles You. 

Writer and performer Paul Beeson joins the podcast to talk about the life of Bobby Walker, and portraying the legend at the Edinburgh Fringe. Joining Heart of Midlothian Football Club in 1896, Walker became one of the first footballing superstars; before fading from the public eye. What responsibilities are there with a biography, how do you find the voice of someone born in the 19th century, and what is it like to perform in a museum full of the memories of the legend?

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Cindy D’Andrea (Cat Shit Crazy)

Cat Shit Crazy, with either an exclamation mark replacing the eye or a censored graphic over the title, caught a lot of attention as the Fringe started, in part due to the aforementioned ‘we can’t have that sort of thing on display at the Fringe’. Sometimes the best publicity comes as a surprise. But the show is about much more than that.

Hollywood-based Cindy D’Andrea’s autobiographical show is much more than that. At one of the darkest moments in her life, her best friend suggested she should get a cat. Moving from I hate cats, to countless feline friends over the last fourteen years, this is a story about a woman, a cat, and unconditional love.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Mario The Maker Magician

What happens when you decide to make your own magic from whatever you can find around you? What happens when you add a dash of robotics to the magic? And then an old tomato soup can from the bin to be your next robot assistant.

That’s the world of Mario The Maker Magician. It’s a family show packed with slapstick humour, handmade robots, and a lot of skill. THere’s a mix of science, creativity, showmanship, and laughter that is incredibly hard to balance. Mario makes it look easy.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Tom Mayhew (This Time Next Year, We’ll Be Millionaires!)

When you do comedy, there’s always a message – the old adage of only punching up is born from many a hard-earned lesson on the stage. You can do that powerfully with force and aggression, but if you prefer a milder comedian, then why not ask Tom Mayhew.

Tom’s show for 2023 is ‘This Time Next Year, We’ll Be Millionaires!’ and beyond the well-timed nod to something the audience may be more familiar with to catch their attention, Mayhew has much to say on capitalism, on hopes, and dreams, in a whimsically sweet hour that delivers some sharp satire on the United Kingdom when you least expect it.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2023 – Benjamin Alborough (Absolute Monopoly!)

The Fringe is not static. Neither are board games, and the classic Monopoly is a perfect example. It’s not a great game, it’s poorly designed, and it ruins friendships and families. Benjamin Alborough not only has the arguments on the dangers of Monopoly, but is also going to reinvent the game with the help of the audience.

Absolute Monopoly is an interactive yet rather chaotic gameshow; from going through the rules through becoming the board to play the game, to deciding the winner. If there’s going to be one.